Given the bizarre happenings in U.S. government today, many Americans view reminders of our country’s past with a kind of bittersweet nostalgia, and the fear that, absent a miracle, our best days are behind us. On this day in 1888, the Washington Monument was opened to the public. (more…)
As our civilization attempts to integrate more solar and wind into its grid-mix, the subject of energy storage becomes increasingly important. This article in GreenTechMedia offers a cursory look at the three technologies that are competing with batteries: pumped hydro, compressed air, and chemical energy storage (e.g. hydrogen). A few comments: (more…)
A colleague from the Bay Area writes: Craig, Few people noticed the approval process for the San Francisco Giants project to build housing on ocean-front property they own near AT&T Park. They have added this: “Another change is that the team has beefed up its sea-level-rise plan. The entire site will be raised 66 inches, and all buildings and infrastructure — streets and sidewalks — will sit on piles driven into bedrock.” Apparently, this is to manage the future rising tides. Area other construction projects doing similar things? (more…)
Have you ever wondered if Donald Trump has the unilateral authority to launch nuclear weapons on behalf of the U.S.? Do we live in a world without checks and balances that would prohibit this, or any other president, from making an impulsive decision that could quite literally end our civilization? (more…)
Here’s a quote from Emerson that I used in one my books in a chapter on environmental activism: “God offers to every mind a choice between repose and truth. Take which you please–you can never have both.” I.e., living so as ameliorate the hard truths of the world is great, but don’t expect it to be restful and diverting. (more…)
Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: How much difference a mere nine months can make! One of President Obama’s few real accomplishments was his irrational hatred of the US coal industry. In a mere eight years, President Obama contributed to massive job losses in coal country, the premature shuttering of vital coal-fired power plants, and responsible for once profitable coal companies filing for bankruptcy. Less than one year later President Trump has worked a miracle!
Holy cats, MP. You have some good ideas to contribute, but this sure isn’t one of them. (more…)
To get a sense for what it’s like trucking a 189-foot-long wind turbine blade onto a remote site with non-optimum road conditions, I offer you the video below. It made me smile, and I hope it does the same for you. (more…)
Britain is an ecologically diverse nation making a concerted effort to move away from fossil fuel use, protect its fauna and flora and create a zero waste economy.
With that in mind, here’s a roundup of recent green news stories from the sceptred isle.
Scotland’s melting snow (more…)
2GreenEnergy super-supporter Cameron Atwood writes: Hey, Craig – did you see this? Tesla’s Elon Musk Proposes Solving Puerto Rico Electrical Crisis with Solar Power
No, I hadn’t, but I’m dubious. I swore I’d never bet against Elon Musk again, but it’s hard to imagine that he could build and operate the Puerto Rican electric company profitably given all the conditions that militate against it: (more…)
TransCanada, the company behind Keystone XL, just pulled the plug on its environmentally disastrous Energy East Pipeline in Canada. Their #1 reason: Basic economics. (more…)
